Chapter 504 - Chapter 504: Another Big Hit

Chapter 504: Another Big Hit

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

At Guangxi Garden.

Li Qingyu set up her stall and started calling out, “Selling egg tarts, selling egg tarts…”

Many people came early in the morning specifically to try delicious food. Hearing the novel name “egg tart,” they gathered around curiously.

Li Qingyu picked up an egg tart and showed it to everyone. “This is an egg tart, fragrant and tasty, 20 copper coins each, only 50 available, first come first served.”

“Madam, give me one!”

“I want one too!”

“I want two!”

As the crowd drew closer, they were greeted by a rich baking aroma mixed with a strong scent of milk, very enticing.

Li Qingyu, smiling broadly, sold the egg tarts one by one.

“Save some for me!” A loud voice came from the crowd, and a chubby boy around ten squeezed his way through.

He was really chubby, with plump cheeks and a round figure, resembling a ball. He was quite tall, but his stoutness made him appear shorter.

After squeezing through the crowd, the chubby boy, Zeng Xiaopang, started looking around. This was his first visit to Li Qingyu’s stall, and she remembered him well.

Li Qingyu waved at Zeng Xiaopang, “I saved five for you.”

Hearing this, Zeng Xiaopang beamed, “Thankyou, auntie.”

Li Qingyu handed the egg tarts to Zeng Xiaopang. “Here, eat it. There are seats over there.”

Zeng Xiaopang nodded contentedly, “Okay.”

The egg tarts sold out in less than fifteen minutes, proving to be another big hit.

“Auntie, are there any more egg tarts?” A little girl, still licking her fingers, looked hopefully at Li Qingyu.

Li Qingyu gently replied, “Sorry, little girl, we’re out of egg tarts.”

The little girl licked her fingers again, her face filled with disappointment.

“When will there be more?”

Li Qingyu spoke softly, “The earliest would be tomorrow.”

The little girl perked up, “Where should I buy them tomorrow?” Today was the last day of the food festival, and it would be over tomorrow.

The people who wanted egg tarts also listened in, clearly wanting to know the answer.

“You can buy them at Tan’s Pastry Shop.” Tan Mengyang, upon seeing the egg tarts, had immediately signed a contract with Chu Xuhua and obtained the exclusive rights to sell egg tarts in Shuiyun County.

Tan’s Pastry Shop had three branches in Shuiyun County and had become the top pastry shop since the introduction of bread and cookies, known to everyone.

“I got it,” the little girl said, walking away satisfied.

Besides Tan Mengyang, other pastry shop owners from different counties also promptly signed purchase agreements. There was no doubt about the products of Chu’s Trade; they were always a hit.

Guangxi Garden was as bustling as ever.

Today was the last day of the food festival, and the next one was uncertain. Many people couldn’t help but come for one last visit. The crowd was larger than ever, and the atmosphere was extraordinarily lively.

At the Government Mortuary.

Chu Xujin, having obtained gloves from Bao Linjiang, entered the mortuary to begin the autopsy.

Next to Chu Xujin was a book titled “Detailed Explanation of Autopsies.” He referred to it while conducting the autopsy.

The coroner had initially done a brief examination the previous day and identified the cause of death but did not inspect in detail. Since the coroner was older and hadn’t arrived at the government yet, Chu Xujin decided to perform the autopsy himself.

The first step in an autopsy is to observe the overall appearance, including clothing, hair, and any marks on the skin’s surface.

Then, the eyes, mouth, nose, and other facial features are examined.

The final step is the dissection of the body.

An experienced coroner, like the current senior coroner at the government, can determine the cause of death just by looking, without needing to dissect the body.

Ge Lihua entered, offering to help Chu Xujin. “How’s it going?”

“Just started, haven’t found anything conclusive yet.” Chu Xujin glanced back at Ge Lihua, “Autopsies can be quite unsightly, you might…”

Understanding his concern, Ge Lihua shook her head, “It’s okay, I’ll take notes for you.”

Chu Xujin appreciated her willingness to stay despite the situation. “Stay a bit further back, so you don’t get dirty.”

Ge Lihua chuckled softly, “Alright.”

Together, they continued with the autopsy.

After a while, Chu Xujin opened Zhou Da’s mouth to check for any abnormalities. After a thorough inspection, he used tweezers to extract a small clump of cotton from Zhou Da’s mouth.

This discovery made him happy. This cotton was very likely from the murder weapon. This made Chu Xujin even more suspicious of the blanket.

He also found several fine threads in Zhou Da’s teeth.

Chu Xujin deduced that these were likely left when Zhou Da bit the murder weapon while being smothered.

With this evidence, it became easier to determine the case.

“Xujin, look at his fingers,” pointed out Ge Lihua.

Chu Xujin immediately inspected them, “There’s flesh and blood under his fingernails, indicating he scratched someone.” He gestured for Ge Lihua to come closer. “Let’s simulate the murder.”

He leaned against the wall. “Lihua, pretend to smother me.”

Ge Lihua approached Chu Xujin’s right side, hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand to cover his mouth and nose.

Chu Xujin pretended to struggle. During the process, he pushed the murderer’s arm and the shoulder blade. If his nails injured the other party, the wound would definitely be near the upper body.

With this clue, finding the murderer became much easier.

Standing close to each other, with Ge Lihua gently covering Chu Xujin’s mouth and his palms on her shoulders, an unspoken intimacy emerged after the simulation.

They looked at each other, each seeing their reflection in the other’s eyes, creating a subtle, warm feeling.

Ge Lihua quickly looked away and left the room.

She rarely smiled and appeared cold, but Chu Xujin could tell from her slight expressions that she might be embarrassed.

Ge Lihua was indeed a little embarrassed. She already knew that Chu Xujin had feelings for him. She also liked men with a sense of justice, but she was really not in the mood for romantic relationships after the downfall of her family. She needed some time.

Chu Xujin’s gaze followed Ge Lihua as she left. When he could not see Ge Lihua, he could not help but smile.

Upon arriving at the prison, Chu Xujin instructed the jailer to check the suspect’s upper body. Those who were injured were the murderers. Among them, Gao Changyong had scratches on the outer side of his forearm. The time of the scratches was within these two days.

With the murderer identified, Chu Xujin and his team went to Zhou Da’s house to check the blanket Zhou Da had used.

Chu Xujin frowned slightly. Why weren’t there any bite marks on the blanket?

The constable who followed him opened the wardrobe and a ball of blankets rolled out. He picked it up and looked at it. There was a hole at the edge. “Sir, look here.”

After inspecting the blanket and confirming that it indeed had bite marks, Chu

Xujin concluded that it was the murder weapon. He decisively announced, “Let’s go, we can close this case now..”